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Procrastination and lack of productivity are some of the biggest issues of the modern individuals. In some cases, they can even make or break ones success. It is quite common for very intelligent persons to feel like failures due to these issues.

Have you ever felt that you just cant do anything right and in a timely manner? You are not alone in this. Many people struggle to be productive and they usually make little progress. But it is essential to know that there are ways to hack your brain and to stimulate yourself to be more productive than you imagined.

HERE ARE 50 WAYS TO TRAINYOUR BRAIN FOR UNLIMITED PRODUCTIVITY:

1. STOP SABOTAGING YOURSELF.

Instead of wasting time complaining, just start working and get things moving. Whining about the chores of the day will never solve anything and it will only delay you more.

2. STOP STRESSING OUT.

Stress can trigger lots of health-related issues. Not to mention that it will give you inconvenient body reactions such as headaches, nausea and all of these will make you less efficient.

3. DRESS NICE.

Clothing has more to do with productivity than you think. Get comfortable clothes that fit you nicely and look flattering. The right clothes will make you feel more confident.

4. CLEAN YOUR ROOM AND YOUR DESK.

You cant be productive when there is clutter all over the place and you waste time anytime you need something as you have no idea where it could be.

5. AVOID DISTRACTIONS.

Dont try to pamper yourself with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or your favourite sites. You will end up forgetting how fast time goes by.

6. SET RULES FOR THE ONES AROUND YOU AS WELL.

Be very clear when you cant be disturbed unless it is something extremely important going on.

7. CREATE TO DO LISTS.

It only takes a few minutes to create To Do lists for a day, a week or for a whole month. In this way, you wont forget about the key matters that you have to solve in the future.

8. SET TIMETABLES.

Allot a certain amount of time for the tasks of the day and stick to the plan as much as possible. Make sure you include reasonably-timed necessary breaks too.

9. IDENTIFY THE TIME WASTERS.

Everyone has a few time wasting activities. Whether thats social media, taking way too much time for meals or gossiping, this has to stop.

10. BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT.

When you feel overwhelmed, take a few minutes to focus on your breathing. Breathe in and out deeply several times until you feel less pressure.

11. PLACE PAPER POST-ITS.

Dont rely on apps as the information might remain there way after your deadlines. Use the good old paper post-its as reminders.

12. USE YOUR IMAGINATION.

If you get bored easily, get creative to make things more interesting.

13. ORGANISE YOUR BIG TASKS INTO SMALL ONES EASIER TO ACHIEVE.

When you accomplish small tasks, you will feel fulfilled and more motivated.

14. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND GET YOURSELF TOGETHER.

To regain your focus, forget about other tasks.

15. USE NOOTROPICS.

Special compounds can boost your brain health and cognitive abilities better than you think. Just make sure you choose top notch ones such as Modafy.

16. IDENTIFY WHETHER YOU ARE GOOD AT MULTITASKING.

Some do a great job as they feel stimulated, while others just cant manage several tasks in the same time. Find out whether multitasking works for you or not.

17. MAKE USE OF WISE QUOTES.

There are tons of motivational and inspiring quotes out there. Browse a bit and find those that appeal to you. Then apply that wisdom in your daily life.

18. FIND A GOOD STIMULANT.

Coffee might make you shaky and energy drinks might give you gastrointestinal distress. Dont try to hack your brain by consuming beverages that make you feel uncomfortable or downright sick. Its better to stick to nootropics as stimulants.

19. INVEST SOME EFFORT.

Force yourself to move faster and to be productive. When you have much time, you might tend to get a bit lazy.

Renowned author Cyril Northcote Parkinson formulated Parkinsons law, which states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. It is known to be applicable in each and every life domain.

20. DONT OVERLOAD YOUR TO DO LIST.

If its not very important at the moment, dont let it waste your time. You can create separate To Do lists: mandatory and optional that you will complete when time allows you to.

21. EAT BREAKFAST.

It is the first opportunity to feed your body the nutrients it needs to function properly throughout the day. Dont skip it as you will tend to make poor nutrition choices that will only slow down your brain.

22. TAKE BREAKS WHEN YOU FEEL DRAINED OF ENERGY AND UNPRODUCTIVE.

Every now and then you really need a break. Stretch a bit, look out the window or get yourself a snack and a glass of water. But dont abuse breaks by turning them into hour-long gaps in your schedule.

23. EXERCISE.

Whether that is running, swimming, going to the gym or just having a walk, you need to wake up your body too. Physical exercise has positive effects over your whole body, so forget about getting lazy in front of the TV every time you have some time off.

24. LISTEN TO YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS BEFORE ENGAGING IN A TASK.

Go for highly energetic songs with a positive message that make you feel alive. Dont even think about songs that might trigger any kind of negative emotions.

25. HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

There might be a big difference between what you can do and what you want to do in a certain time frame. Remember that you are not a robot and stick to a realistic plan that will allow you to get proper rest too.

26. DONT GO OVERBOARD.

Exhausting yourself will only make you completely unproductive. Dont try to compensate inactivity with periods of time of highly intense long hours of work.

27. LEARN TIME MANAGEMENT.

The day has 24 hours for each and every person on this planet. Irrespective of your lifestyle, you can make time for nearly anything as long as you manage your time wisely.

28. TRY NAPPING.

A nap has the power to restart your system. But careful, some people might feel groggy after a nap. If u are one of them

29. DONT TAKE ON MORE RESPONSIBILITIES THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.

Saying yes to everyone every time might make your heart feel good but it will exhaust your brain.

30. FORGET ABOUT PERFECTION.

It is time to accept the fact that no matter how hard you will try, it is quite impossible to achieve perfection. Do your best to get the best result possible and dont freak out over tiny details that are irrelevant to the main purpose anyway.

31. KNOW YOUR BODYS TIMETABLE.

You might be a night owl or an early bird. Organise your day around these patterns. It is pointless to force yourself to be productive when your body simply isnt able to. Discover your bodys timetable and use it to your advantage.

32. PRIORITIZE.

Dont just make a mess out of everything by trying to accomplish as much as you can as humanly possible. Get the urgent things done soon then the ones that can wait.

33. SCHEDULE SIMILAR TASKS BACK-TO-BACK.

In this way the task will seem pretty repetitive and it feel easier as you will go into automate mode. It is best to take small breaks after accomplishing a set of tasks and not in the middle of it.

34. DO SOMETHING EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE MOOD.

So you just dont feel like doing anything. Get something easier done meanwhile or a task that you slightly enjoy doing. But that doesnt involve looking at cat videos or aimlessly browsing the Internet.

35. PLAN YOUR DAY AND EVEN YOUR WEEK.

Just make a rough draft and try to keep it. You can do this before you go to sleep or early in the morning before you start.

36. DONT OVERANALYSE THINGS.

Overanalysing could delay you a lot. You dont do yourself any favour by thinking for ages how to get something done without taking any real action. Take your time with essential matters but speed things up for the less important ones.

37. TURN OFF THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD.

Everyone has an inner critic that thrashes down all the accomplishments. Just ignore that and focus on the tasks at hand.

38. GIVE YOUR BODY THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS.

This cant be emphasized enough. Say goodbye to highly processed foods that are full of additives. Add in your diet only healthy ones that ensure proper body functions.

39. LET THE SUN SHINE.

It is important to be exposed to natural light, otherwise you might feel groggy. The run rays will also stimulate your bodys natural rhythm

40. LEARN TO BE STRAIGHTFORWARD.

Dont spend time telling stories as you will only waste time and bore people. Keep things simple and go straight to the point.

41. USE MINDLESS ACTIVITIES TO LEARN.

Whenever you clean the house or do the laundry, you can listen to educational or motivational audios.

42. EDUCATE YOURSELF.

Never stop learning. There are tons of books that arent only good lecture, but contain different interesting points of view.

43. LET GO OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.

They can thrash your day and ruin your mood. Just banish them from your thoughts as much as possible.

44. ANALYSE THE TASKS AND TRIAGE THEM.

Some of them might be irrelevant. Spend your time with the ones that do matter as they are either highly important for work or for your personal life.

45. IDENTIFY THE ACTIVITIES THAT DONT BRING ANYTHING TO THE TABLE.

For example, commenting on YouTube videos or blogs and expressing an opinion that will either go unnoticed or start a fight is clearly pointless.

46. ACCEPT WHAT YOU CANT CHANGE.

Dont worry for other peoples problems if you cant do anything to help. This will only distract you from solving your own.

47. USE THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE.

It involves working for 25 minutes than having a 5-minute break. Stick to it to regain your discipline.

48. STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS.

Social media makes people always compare themselves to one another. Instead of whining because you are less successful than others, use that time to go to the next level yourself.

Nootropics arent a joke. Thats why we took special care in making ourstack. Its made ofthe best ingredientsfor focus and energy. OptiMind is designed for benefits within hours and over time. You can expect to feel a boost in your energy, alertness, and focus shortly after taking it. Over time,youll notice improvements in cognitive function and retention of newly learned information.Get ready for enhanced mental performance.

We analyzed over 50 years of neuroscience research to design a trulysafe and effective Nootropic formula. OptiMind is manufactured in a state-of-the-art, GMP-certified laboratory using the highest industry standards. Each batch is purity tested to ensure that only the finest nootropic is delivered to your doorstep.

Nootropics (English pronunciation: noh–TROP-iks), also known as smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, are drugs, supplements, and other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.[1][2]

The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals in the absence of a medical indication is one of the most debated topics among neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and physicians which spans a number of issues, including the ethics and fairness of their use, concerns over adverse effects, and the diversion of prescription drugs for nonmedical uses, among others.[1][3][4] Nonetheless, the international sales of cognition-enhancing supplements exceeded US$1 billion in 2015 and the global demand for these compounds is still growing rapidly.[5]

The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by a Romanian psychologist and chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea,[6][7] from the Greek words (nous), or “mind”, and (trepein), meaning to bend or turn.[8]

There are only a few drugs that are known to improve some aspect of cognition. Many more are in different stages of development.[9] The most commonly used class of drug is stimulants, such as caffeine.[10]

These drugs are purportedly used primarily to treat cognitive or motor function difficulties attributable to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and ADHD.[citation needed] Some researchers, however, report more widespread use despite concern for further research.[11] Nevertheless, intense marketing may not correlate with efficacy. While scientific studies support the beneficial effects of some compounds, manufacturer’s marketing claims for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested and verified by independent entities.[12]

The use of prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among students attending academically competitive colleges.[13] Surveys suggest that 0.74.5% of German students have used cognitive enhancers in their lifetime.[14][15][16] Stimulants such as dimethylamylamine and methylphenidate are used on college campuses and by younger groups.[9] Based upon studies of self-reported illicit stimulant use, 535% of college students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are primarily used for performance enhancement rather than as recreational drugs.[17][18][19]

The nootropics industry was valued at $1.4 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $6.1 billion by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 17.9% from 2016 to 2024.[citation needed]

Several factors positively and negatively influence the use of drugs to increase cognitive performance. Among them are personal characteristics, drug characteristics, and characteristics of the social context.[14][15][20][21]

The main concern with pharmaceutical drugs is adverse effects, and these concerns apply to cognitive-enhancing drugs as well. Long-term safety data is typically unavailable for some types of nootropics[9] (e.g., many non-pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers, newly developed pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals with short-term therapeutic use). Racetamspiracetam and other compounds that are structurally related to piracetamhave few serious adverse effects and low toxicity, but there is little evidence that they enhance cognition in individuals without cognitive impairments.[22][23]

While addiction to stimulants is sometimes identified as a cause for concern,[24] a very large body of research on the therapeutic use of the “more addictive” psychostimulants indicate that addiction is fairly rare in therapeutic doses.[25][26][27] On their safety profile, a systematic review from June 2015 asserted, “evidence indicates that at low, clinically relevant doses, psychostimulants are devoid of the behavioral and neurochemical actions that define this class of drugs and instead act largely as cognitive enhancers.”[28]

In the United States dietary supplements may be marketed if the manufacturer can show that it can manufacture the supplement safely, that the supplement is indeed generally recognized as safe, and if the manufacturer does not make any claims about the supplement’s use to treat or prevent any disease or condition; supplements that contain drugs or for which treatment or prevention claims are made are illegal under US law.[29]

In 2015, systematic medical reviews and meta-analyses of clinical research in humans established consensus that certain central nervous system stimulants, only when used at low (therapeutic) concentrations, unambiguously enhance cognition in the general population;[28][30][31][32] in particular, the classes of stimulants that demonstrate cognition-enhancing effects in humans act as direct agonists or indirect agonists of dopamine receptor D1, adrenoceptor A2, or both receptors in the prefrontal cortex.[28][30][32][33] Relatively high doses of stimulants cause cognitive deficits.[32][33]

Racetams, such as piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam, are structurally similar compounds, which are often marketed as cognitive enhancers and sold over-the-counter. Racetams are often referred to as nootropics, but this property of the drug class is not well established.[43] The racetams have poorly understood mechanisms of action; however, piracetam and aniracetam are known to act as positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors and appear to modulate cholinergic systems.[44]

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, “Piracetam is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical, or dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake. Further, piracetam is not a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any such dietary ingredient. […] Accordingly, these products are drugs, under section 201(g)(1)(C) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)(C), because they are not foods and they are intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. Moreover, these products are new drugs as defined by section 201(p) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(p), because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling.”[45]

The results of this meta-analysis cannot address the important issues of individual differences in stimulant effects or the role of motivational enhancement in helping perform academic or occupational tasks. However, they do confirm the reality of cognitive enhancing effects for normal healthy adults in general, while also indicating that these effects are modest in size.

Nootropics (English pronunciation: noh–TROP-iks), also known as smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, are drugs, supplements, and other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.[1][2]

The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals in the absence of a medical indication is one of the most debated topics among neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and physicians which spans a number of issues, including the ethics and fairness of their use, concerns over adverse effects, and the diversion of prescription drugs for nonmedical uses, among others.[1][3][4] Nonetheless, the international sales of cognition-enhancing supplements exceeded US$1 billion in 2015 and the global demand for these compounds is still growing rapidly.[5]

The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by a Romanian psychologist and chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea,[6][7] from the Greek words (nous), or “mind”, and (trepein), meaning to bend or turn.[8]

There are only a few drugs that are known to improve some aspect of cognition. Many more are in different stages of development.[9] The most commonly used class of drug is stimulants, such as caffeine.[10]

These drugs are purportedly used primarily to treat cognitive or motor function difficulties attributable to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and ADHD.[citation needed] Some researchers, however, report more widespread use despite concern for further research.[11] Nevertheless, intense marketing may not correlate with efficacy. While scientific studies support the beneficial effects of some compounds, manufacturer’s marketing claims for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested and verified by independent entities.[12]

The use of prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among students attending academically competitive colleges.[13] Surveys suggest that 0.74.5% of German students have used cognitive enhancers in their lifetime.[14][15][16] Stimulants such as dimethylamylamine and methylphenidate are used on college campuses and by younger groups.[9] Based upon studies of self-reported illicit stimulant use, 535% of college students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are primarily used for performance enhancement rather than as recreational drugs.[17][18][19]

The nootropics industry was valued at $1.4 billion in 2015, and is expected to reach $6.1 billion by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 17.9% from 2016 to 2024.[citation needed]

Several factors positively and negatively influence the use of drugs to increase cognitive performance. Among them are personal characteristics, drug characteristics, and characteristics of the social context.[14][15][20][21]

The main concern with pharmaceutical drugs is adverse effects, and these concerns apply to cognitive-enhancing drugs as well. Long-term safety data is typically unavailable for some types of nootropics[9] (e.g., many non-pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers, newly developed pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals with short-term therapeutic use). Racetamspiracetam and other compounds that are structurally related to piracetamhave few serious adverse effects and low toxicity, but there is little evidence that they enhance cognition in individuals without cognitive impairments.[22][23]

While addiction to stimulants is sometimes identified as a cause for concern,[24] a very large body of research on the therapeutic use of the “more addictive” psychostimulants indicate that addiction is fairly rare in therapeutic doses.[25][26][27] On their safety profile, a systematic review from June 2015 asserted, “evidence indicates that at low, clinically relevant doses, psychostimulants are devoid of the behavioral and neurochemical actions that define this class of drugs and instead act largely as cognitive enhancers.”[28]

In the United States dietary supplements may be marketed if the manufacturer can show that it can manufacture the supplement safely, that the supplement is indeed generally recognized as safe, and if the manufacturer does not make any claims about the supplement’s use to treat or prevent any disease or condition; supplements that contain drugs or for which treatment or prevention claims are made are illegal under US law.[29]

In 2015, systematic medical reviews and meta-analyses of clinical research in humans established consensus that certain central nervous system stimulants, only when used at low (therapeutic) concentrations, unambiguously enhance cognition in the general population;[28][30][31][32] in particular, the classes of stimulants that demonstrate cognition-enhancing effects in humans act as direct agonists or indirect agonists of dopamine receptor D1, adrenoceptor A2, or both receptors in the prefrontal cortex.[28][30][32][33] Relatively high doses of stimulants cause cognitive deficits.[32][33]

Racetams, such as piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam, are structurally similar compounds, which are often marketed as cognitive enhancers and sold over-the-counter. Racetams are often referred to as nootropics, but this property of the drug class is not well established.[43] The racetams have poorly understood mechanisms of action; however, piracetam and aniracetam are known to act as positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors and appear to modulate cholinergic systems.[44]

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, “Piracetam is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical, or dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake. Further, piracetam is not a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any such dietary ingredient. […] Accordingly, these products are drugs, under section 201(g)(1)(C) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)(C), because they are not foods and they are intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. Moreover, these products are new drugs as defined by section 201(p) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(p), because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling.”[45]

The results of this meta-analysis cannot address the important issues of individual differences in stimulant effects or the role of motivational enhancement in helping perform academic or occupational tasks. However, they do confirm the reality of cognitive enhancing effects for normal healthy adults in general, while also indicating that these effects are modest in size.

Nootropics (English pronunciation: noh–TROP-iks), also known as smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, are drugs, supplements, and other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.[1][2]

The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals in the absence of a medical indication is one of the most debated topics among neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and physicians which spans a number of issues, including the ethics and fairness of their use, concerns over adverse effects, and the diversion of prescription drugs for nonmedical uses, among others.[1][3][4] Nonetheless, the international sales of cognition-enhancing supplements exceeded US$1 billion in 2015 and the global demand for these compounds is still growing rapidly.[5]

The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by a Romanian psychologist and chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea,[6][7] from the Greek words (nous), or “mind”, and (trepein), meaning to bend or turn.[8]

There are only a few drugs that are known to improve some aspect of cognition. Many more are in different stages of development.[9] The most commonly used class of drug is stimulants, such as caffeine.[10]

These drugs are purportedly used primarily to treat cognitive or motor function difficulties attributable to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and ADHD.[citation needed] Some researchers, however, report more widespread use despite concern for further research.[11] Nevertheless, intense marketing may not correlate with efficacy. While scientific studies support the beneficial effects of some compounds, manufacturer’s marketing claims for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested and verified by independent entities.[12]

The use of prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among students attending academically competitive colleges.[13] Surveys suggest that 0.74.5% of German students have used cognitive enhancers in their lifetime.[14][15][16] Stimulants such as dimethylamylamine and methylphenidate are used on college campuses and by younger groups.[9] Based upon studies of self-reported illicit stimulant use, 535% of college students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are primarily used for performance enhancement rather than as recreational drugs.[17][18][19]

nootropics industry was valued at USD 1,346.5 Mn in 2015, and is expected to reach USD 6,059.4 Mn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 17.9% from 2016 to 2024

Several factors positively and negatively influence the use of drugs to increase cognitive performance. Among them are personal characteristics, drug characteristics, and characteristics of the social context.[14][15][20][21]

The main concern with pharmaceutical drugs is adverse effects, and these concerns apply to cognitive-enhancing drugs as well. Long-term safety data is typically unavailable for some types of nootropics[9] (e.g., many non-pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers, newly developed pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals with short-term therapeutic use). Racetamspiracetam and other compounds that are structurally related to piracetamhave few serious adverse effects and low toxicity, but there is little evidence that they enhance cognition in individuals without cognitive impairments.[22][23]

While addiction to stimulants is sometimes identified as a cause for concern,[24] a very large body of research on the therapeutic use of the “more addictive” psychostimulants indicate that addiction is fairly rare in therapeutic doses.[25][26][27] On their safety profile, a systematic review from June 2015 asserted, “evidence indicates that at low, clinically relevant doses, psychostimulants are devoid of the behavioral and neurochemical actions that define this class of drugs and instead act largely as cognitive enhancers.”[28]

In the United States dietary supplements may be marketed if the manufacturer can show that it can manufacture the supplement safely, that the supplement is indeed generally recognized as safe, and if the manufacturer does not make any claims about the supplement’s use to treat or prevent any disease or condition; supplements that contain drugs or for which treatment or prevention claims are made are illegal under US law.[29]

In 2015, systematic medical reviews and meta-analyses of clinical research in humans established consensus that certain central nervous system stimulants, only when used at low (therapeutic) concentrations, unambiguously enhance cognition in the general population;[28][30][31][32] in particular, the classes of stimulants that demonstrate cognition-enhancing effects in humans act as direct agonists or indirect agonists of dopamine receptor D1, adrenoceptor A2, or both receptors in the prefrontal cortex.[28][30][32][33] Relatively high doses of stimulants cause cognitive deficits.[32][33]

Racetams, such as piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam, are structurally similar compounds, which are often marketed as cognitive enhancers and sold over-the-counter. Racetams are often referred to as nootropics, but this property of the drug class is not well established.[43] The racetams have poorly understood mechanisms of action; however, piracetam and aniracetam are known to act as positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors and appear to modulate cholinergic systems.[44]

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, “Piracetam is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical, or dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake. Further, piracetam is not a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any such dietary ingredient. […] Accordingly, these products are drugs, under section 201(g)(1)(C) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)(C), because they are not foods and they are intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. Moreover, these products are new drugs as defined by section 201(p) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(p), because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling.”[45]

The results of this meta-analysis cannot address the important issues of individual differences in stimulant effects or the role of motivational enhancement in helping perform academic or occupational tasks. However, they do confirm the reality of cognitive enhancing effects for normal healthy adults in general, while also indicating that these effects are modest in size.

Brain fog usually shows up as forgetfulness, fuzzy thinking, and a vague sense of fatigue. It can make you absent-minded, confused, demotivated, and unfocused, and give you the frustrating feeling that your mind just isnt firing on all cylinders.

When you buy from Nootropics Depot, you can trust that you are getting a quality product that has undergone extensive testing for both purity and identity. Nootropics Depot routinely conducts in-house and third-party lab testing to ensure product authenticity and efficacy.

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See the latest updates to our nootropics blog below to begin exploring the vast world of nootropics and dietary supplements.

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD, MDMA, and Psilocybin (the chemical that makes Magic Mushrooms magic) have been used for decades, in some cases even centuries. Theyve become illegal for a variety of political reasons. Studies have shown them to have positive benefits for addiction, resolving traumatic experiences, and depression. But could they be a part of your stack? Can we consider these drugs nootropics? Thats what Smarter Nootropics has set out to answer. Micro-dosing psychedelics for nootropic benefits When you normally think of psychedelic drugs you think of the 60s, hippies in crowds, hallucinations and stumbling, incoherent people. Thats entirelyContinue reading

When you buy from Nootropics Depot, you can trust that you are getting a quality product that has undergone extensive testing for both purity and identity. Nootropics Depot routinely conducts in-house and third-party lab testing to ensure product authenticity and efficacy.

Find the right nootropics that work for you and build the best nootropic stack today.

It’s true that the best nootropics for you may be different from what works best for someone else. While this might make finding the best nootropic stack that works for you seem difficult, we have compiled our best selling nootropics

to help you get started. You may also find many of the anecdotal nootropic reviews on our product pages helpful to you as well.

The question people ask most often is “do nootropics work?” The answer is usually more complex than a simple “yes” or “no.” If you are new to nootropics or dietary supplements, our blog articles are an excellent resource for beginners. See the latest updates to our nootropics blog below to begin exploring the vast world of nootropics and dietary supplements.

Sceptics about the possibility of nootropics(“smart drugs”)are victims of the so-called Panglossianparadigm of evolution. They believe that our cognitive architecture has beenso fine-honed by natural selection that any tinkering with such a wonderfullyall-adaptive suite of mechanisms is bound to do more harm than good. Certainlythe notion that merely popping a pill could make you intellectually brighter sounds implausible – the sort of journalistic excess that sits more comfortably in thepages of Fortean Times than any scholarlyjournal of repute.

Yet as Dean,Morgenthaler and Fowkes'(hereafter “DMF”) book attests, the debunkers are wrong. On the one hand, numerousagents with anticholinergicproperties are essentially dumb drugs.Anticholinergics impair memory, alertness, focus, verbal facility and creative thought. Conversely,a variety of cholinergic drugsand nutrients, which form a large part of the smart chemist’s arsenal, can subtlybut significantly enhance cognitive performance on a whole range of tests. Thisholds true for victims of Alzheimer’sDisease, who suffer in particular from a progressive and disproportionateloss of cholinergic neurons.Yet, potentially at least, cognitive enhancers can aid non-dementedpeople too. Many members of the “normally” ageing population can benefit from an increasedavailability of acetylcholine,improved blood-flow to the brain, increased ATP production and enhanced oxygen and glucose uptake. Mostrecently, research with ampakines,modulators of neurotrophin-regulating AMPA-typeglutamate receptors, suggests that designer nootropics will soon deliver sharperintellectual performance even to healthy young adults.

DMFprovide updates from Smart Drugs (1) on piracetam,acetyl-l-carnitine,vasopressin, and severalvitamin therapies. Smart Drugs II offers profiles of agents such asselegiline (l-deprenyl), melatonin,pregnenolone,DHEA and ondansetron(Zofran). There is also a provocative question-and-answer section; a discussionof product sources; and aguide to further reading.

Sowhat’s the catch? Unfortunately, there are many. Large, well-controlled, long-term trials of putative nootropics are scarce: the whole field of cognitive enhancement is rife with self-deception, snake-oil, hucksterism and (at best) publication bias. Another problem, to which not all authorities on nootropics giveenough emphasis, is the complex interplay between cognition and mood.Thus great care should be taken before tampering with the noradrenaline/acetylcholineaxis. Thought-frenziedhypercholinergic states,for instance, are characteristic of one “noradrenergic”sub-type of depression. A predominance of forebrain cholinergic activity, frequentlytriggered by chronic uncontrolled stress,can lead to a reduced sensitivity to reward,an inability to sustain effort, and behaviouralsuppression.

This mood-modulatingeffect does make some sort of cruel genetic sense. Extreme intensityof reflective thought may function as an evolutionarily adaptive response whenthings go wrong. When they’re going right, as in optimal states of “flow experience”, we don’t need to bother. Hence boostingcholinergic function, aloneand in the absence of further pharmacologic intervention, can subdue mood. Cholinergics can even induce depression in susceptible subjects. Likewise, beta-adrenergic antagonists(e.g. propranolol(Inderal)) can induce depression and fatigue. Conversely, “dumb-drug” anticholinergicsmay sometimes have mood-brightening – progressing to deliriant- effects. Indeed antimuscarinic agents acting in the nucleus accumbens may eveninduce a “mindless” euphoria.

Now it might seem axiomaticthat helping everyone think more deeply is just what the doctor ordered. Yet our educationsystem is already pervaded by an intellectual snobbery that exalts academic excellenceover social cognition and emotional well-being. In the modern era, examinationrituals bordering on institutionalised child-abuse take a heavy toll on younglives. Depression and anxiety-disorders among young teens are endemic – and stillrising. It’s worth recallingthat research laboratories routinely subject non-human animals to a regimen of”chronic mild uncontrolled stress” to induce depression in their captive animalpopulation; investigators then test putative newantidepressants on the depressed animals to see if their despair can beexperimentally reversed by patentabledrugs. The “chronic mild stressors” that we standardly inflict on adolescent humans can have noless harmful effects on the mental health of captive school-students; but in this case,no organised effort is made to reverse it. Instead its victims often go on toself-medicate with ethyl alcohol,tobacco and streetdrugs. So arguably at least, the deformed and emotionally pre-literate mindschurned out by our schools stand in need of safe, high-octane mood-brightenersmore urgently than cognitive tweakers. Memory-enhancers might be more worthwhile if we had more experiences worth remembering.

Onepossible solution to this dilemma involves taking a cholinergic agent such aspiracetam (Nootropil) or aniracetam(Draganon, Ampamet) that also enhances dopamine function. In the late twentieth century, many researchersbelieved that the mesolimbicdopamine system acts as the finalcommon pathway for pleasure in the brain. This hypothesis turned out to be simplistic at best. The mesolimbic dopamine system is most directly implicated in motivation and the capacity to anticipate future pleasures. The endogenous opioid system, and in particular activation of the mu opioid receptors, that mediates pure pleasure. Mesolimbic dopamine amplifies “incentive-motivation”: “wanting” and “liking” may have different substrates, albeit intimately linked. Moreover mood-elevating memory-enhancers such as phosphodiesterase inhibitors (e.g. the selective PDE4 inhibitor rolipram) act on different neural pathways – speeding and strengthening memory-formation by prolonging the availability of CREB. In any event, severalof the most popular smart drugs discussed by DMF do indeed act on both the cholinergicand dopaminergic systems. In addition, agents like aniracetamand its analogs increase hippocampal glutaminergic activity. Hippocampalfunction is critical to memory- and mood. Thusnewly developed ampakines,agents promoting long-term potentiation of AMPA-typeglutamate receptors, are powerful memory-enhancers and future nootropics.

Another approach to enhancingmood and intellect alike involves swapping or combining a choline agonist with a different, primarily dopaminergic drug. Here admittedly there are methodological problems. The improved test score performances reported on so-called smart dopaminergics may have other explanations. Not all studies adequately exclude the confounding variables of increased alertness, sharper sensory acuity, greater motor activity or improved motivation – as distinct from any “pure” nootropic action. Yet the selective dopamine reuptake blocker amineptine(Survector) is both a mood-brightenerand a possible smart-drug. Likewiseselegiline, popularly known as l-deprenyl,has potentially life-enhancing properties. Selegiline is a selective, irreversibleMAO-b inhibitor with antioxidant,immune-system-boosting andanti-neurodegenerative effects. It retards the metabolism not just of dopaminebut also of phenylethylamine, atrace amine also found in chocolate andreleased when we’re in love. Selegiline also stimulates the release of superoxidedismutase (SOD); SOD is a key enzymewhich helps to quench damaging free-radicals. Taken consistently in low doses,selegiline extends the life-expectancy of ratsby some 20%; enhances drive, libido and endurance; and independently improvescognitive performance in Alzheimer’spatients and in some healthy normals. It is used successfully to treat caninecognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) in dogs. In 2006, higher dose (i.e. less MAO-b selective) selegiline was licensed as the antidepressant EMSAM, a transdermal patch.Selegiline also protects the brain’s dopaminecells from oxidative stress. The brain has only about 400,000 – 600,000 dopaminergicneurons in all. We lose perhaps 13% a decade in adult life. An eventual70%-80% loss leads to the dopamine-deficiency disorder Parkinson’sdisease and frequently depression.Clearly anything that spares so precious a resource might prove a valuable toolfor life-enrichment.

In 2005, a second selective MAO-b inhibitor, rasagiline (Azilect) gained an EC product license. Its introduction was followed a year later in the USA. Unlike selegiline, rasagiline doesn’t have amphetamine trace metabolites – a distinct if modest therapeutic advantage.

Looking further ahead, the bifunctional cholinesterase inhibitor and MAO-b inhibitor ladostigil acts both as a cognitive enhancer and a mood brightener. Ladostigil has neuroprotective and potential antiaging properties too. Its product-license is several years away at best.

Consider,for instance, the plight of genetically engineered “smartmice” endowed with an extra copy of the NR2Bsubtype of NMDA receptor.It is now known that such brainy “Doogie” mice suffer from a chronically increasedsensitivity to pain.Memory-enhancing drugs and potential gene-therapies targeting the same receptorsubtype might cause equally disturbing side-effects in humans. Conversely, NMDAantagonists like the dissociative anaesthetic drug ketamineexert amnestic, antidepressant and analgesic effects in humans and non-humansalike.

Amplified memory canitself be a mixed blessing. Even among the drug-nave and chronically forgetful,all kinds of embarrassing, intrusive and traumatic memories may haunt our lives.Such memories sometimes persistfor months, years or even decades afterwards. Unpleasant memories can sour thewell-being even of people who don’t suffer from clinical PTSD.The effects of using all-round memory enhancers might do something worse thanmerely fill our heads with clutter. Such agents could etch traumatic experiencesmore indelibly into our memories. Or worse, such all-round enhancers might promotethe involuntary recall of our nastiest memories with truly nightmarish intensity. Ironically, a popular smart drug such as modafinil can be used experimentally to prevent long-term memory consolidation in animal models” – not quite the effect pill-popping students cramming for exams have in mind. Like most psychostimulants, modafinil may also have a subtle anti-empathetic effect.

By contrast, the design ofchemical tools that empower us selectively to forget unpleasant memoriesmay prove to be at least as life-enriching as agents that help us remember moreeffectively. Unlike the software of digital computers, human memories can’t bespecifically deleted to order. But this design-limitation may soon be overcome.The synthesis of enhanced versions of protease inhibitors such as anisomycinmay enable us selectively to erase horrible memories. If such agents can be refinedfor our personal medicine cabinets, then we’ll potentially be able to rid ourselvesof nasty or unwanted memories at will – as distinct from drowning our sorrows withalcohol or indiscriminatelydulling our wits with tranquillisers.In future, the twin availability of 1] technologies to amplify desirable memories,and 2] selective amnestics to extinguish undesirable memories, promisesto improve our quality of life far more dramatically than use of today’s lame smartdrugs.

Such a utopianpharmaceutical toolkit is still some way off. Given our current primitive state of knowledge,it’s hard to boost the function of one neurotransmitter signalling system or receptorsub-type without eliciting compensatory and often unwanted responses from others.Life’s successful, dopamine-driven go-getters, for instance, whether naturallypropelled or otherwise, maybe highly productive individuals. Yet they are rarely warm, relaxed and sociallyempathetic. This is because, crudely,dopamine overdrive tends to impair “civilising serotonin” function. Likewise, testosterone functionally antagonises pro-social oxytocin in the CNS. Unfortunately,tests of putative smart drugs typically reflect an impoverished and culture-boundconception of intelligence. Indeed today’s “high IQ” alpha males may strike posterity as more akin to idiot savants than imposing intellectual giants. IQ tests, and all conventional scholastic examinations,neglect creative and practical intelligence. IQ tests simply ignore social cognition.Social intelligence, and its cognate notion of “emotionalIQ”, isn’t some second-rate substitute for people who can’t do IQ tests. Onthe contrary, according to the Machiavellianape hypothesis, the evolution of human intelligence has been driven by oursuperior “mind-reading” skills. Higher-order intentionality [e.g. “you believe that I hope that she thinks that I want…”, etc] is central to the lives of advanced social beings. The unique development of human mind is an adaptationto social problem-solving and the selective advantages it brings. Yetpharmaceuticals that enhance our capacity for empathy,enrich our socialskills, expand our “state-space” of experience, or deepen our introspectiveself-knowledge are not conventional candidates for smart drugs. For such facultiesdon’t reflect our traditional [male] scientific value-judgements on what qualifiesas “intelligence”. Thus in academia, for instance, competitive dominance behaviour among “alpha” male human primates often masquerades as the pursuit of scholarship. Emotional literacy is certainly harder to quantifyscientifically than mathematical puzzle-solving ability or performance in verbalmemory-tests. But to misquote Robert McNamara, we need to stop making what is measurable important, and find ways to make the important measurable. By some criteria, contemporary IQ tests are better measures of high-grade autism than mature full-spectrum intelligence. So before chemically manipulating one’s mind, it’s worth criticallyexamining which capacities one wants to enhance; and to what end?

Inpractice, the first and most boring advice is often the most important.Many potential users of smart pills would be better and more simply advised tostop taking tranquillisers, sleeping tablets or toxic recreational drugs; practise good sleep discipline; eat omega-3 rich foods, more vegetables and generally improvetheir diet; and try more mentally challengingtasks. One of the easiest ways of improving memory,for instance, is to increase the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Enhanced cerebrovascular function canbe achieved by running, swimming, dancing, brisk walking, and more sex.Regular vigorous exercisealso promotes nervecell growth in the hippocampus. Hippocampal brain cell growth potentiallyenhances mood, memory andcognitive vitality alike. Intellectuals are prone to echo J.S. Mill: “Better to be an unhappy Socrates than a happy pig”. But happiness is typically good for the hippocampus; by contrast, the reduced hippocampal volume anatomically characteristic of depressives correlates with the length of their depression.

In our current state of ignorance, homely remedies are still sometimes best. Thus moderateconsumption of adenosine-inhibiting,common-or-garden caffeineimproves concentration, mood and alertness; enhances acetylcholinerelease in the hippocampus; and statistically reduces the risk of suicide. Regular coffee drinking induces competitive and reversible inhibition of MAO enzymes type A and B owing to coffee’s neuroactive beta-carbolines. Coffee is also rich in antioxidants.Non-coffee drinkers are around threetimes more likely to contract Parkinson’s disease. A Michigan studyfound caffeine use was correlated with enhanced male virility in later life.

Before resorting to pills, aspiringintellectual heavyweights might do well to start the day with a low-fat/high carbohydratebreakfast: muesli ratherthan tasty well-buttered croissants. This will enhance memory, energy and bloodglucose levels. An omega-3 rich diet will enhance all-round emotional and intellectual health too. A large greasy fry-up, on the other hand, can easily leave onefeeling muddle-headed, drowsy and lethargic. If one wants to stay sharp, and toblunt the normal mid-afternoon dip, then eating big fatty lunches isn’t a goodidea either. Fat releases cholecystokinin(CCK) from the duodenum. Modest intravenous infusions of CCK makeone demonstrably dopey and subdued.

To urgesuch caveats is not to throw up one’s hands in defeatist resignation. Creativepsychopharmacology can often in principle circumvent such problems, even today.There may indeed be no safe drugs but just safe dosages.Yet some smart drugs, such as piracetam,are relatively innocuous. If the user doesn’t like their effects, (s)he can simply stop taking them. Agents such as the alpha-1adrenergic agonist adrafinil (Olmifron) typicallydo have both mood-brightening and intellectually invigorating effects. Adrafinil,like its chemical cousin modafinil (Provigil),promotes alertness, vigilance and mental focus; and its more-or-less pure CNSaction ensures it doesn’t cause unwanted peripheral sympathetic stimulation.

Unfortunately the lay public iscurrently ill-served, a few shining exceptions aside, by the professionals. A conditionof ignorance and dependence is actively fostered where it isn’t just connivedat in the wider population. So there’s often relatively little point in advisinganyone contemplating acting on DMF’s book to consult their physician first. Forit’s likely their physician won’t want to know, or want them to know, in the firstinstance.

As traditional formsof censorship, news-management and governmental information-control break down,however, and the Net insinuates itself into ever more areas of daily life, moreand more people are stumbling upon – initially – and then exploring,the variety of drugs and combination therapies which leading-edge pharmaceuticalresearch puts on offer. They are increasingly doing so as customers,and not as patronisingly labelled role-bound “patients”. Those outside the charmed circle havepreviously been cast in the obligatory role of humble supplicants. The more jaundicedor libertarian among the excluded may have felt themselves at the mercy of prescription-wielding,or -withholding,agents of one arm of the licensed drugcartels. So when the control of the cartels and their agents falters, thereis an especially urgent need for incisive and high-quality information to be madereadily accessible. Do DMF fulfil it?

SmartDrugs 2 lays itself wide open to criticism; but then it takes on an impossibletask. In the perennial trade-off between accessibility and scholarly rigour, compromisesare made on both sides. Ritual disclaimers aside, DMF’s tone can at times seemtoo uncritically gung-ho. Their drug-profiles and cited studies don’t always givedue weight to the variations in sample size and the quality of controls. Nor dothey highlight the uncertain calibre of the scholarly journals in which some ofthe most interesting results are published. DMFs inclusion of anecdote-studdedpersonal testimonials is almost calculated to inflame medical orthodoxy. Moreoverit should be stressed that the scientific gold-standard of large, placebo-controlled,double-blind cross-over prospective trialsare still quite rare in this field as a whole.

Looking ahead, this century’smood-boosting, intellect-sharpening,empathy-enhancingand personality-enriching drugs arethemselves likely to prove only stopgaps. This is because invincible, life-longhappiness and supergeniusintellect may one day be geneticallypre-programmed and possibly ubiquitous in our transhuman successors.Taking drugs to repair Nature’s deficiencies may eventually become redundant.Memory- and intelligence-boosting gene therapies are already imminent.But in repairing the deficiencies of an educational system geared to producingdysthymic pharmacological illiterates, SmartDrugs 1 and 2 offers a warmly welcome start.

Brain fog usually shows up as forgetfulness, fuzzy thinking, and a vague sense of fatigue. It can make you absent-minded, confused, demotivated, and unfocused, and give you the frustrating feeling that your mind just isnt firing on all cylinders.

When you buy from Nootropics Depot, you can trust that you are getting a quality product that has undergone extensive testing for both purity and identity. Nootropics Depot routinely conducts in-house and third-party lab testing to ensure product authenticity and efficacy.

Find the right nootropics that work for you and build the best nootropic stack today.

It’s true that the best nootropics for you may be different from what works best for someone else. While this might make finding the best nootropic stack that works for you seem difficult, we have compiled our best selling nootropics

to help you get started. You may also find many of the anecdotal nootropic reviews on our product pages helpful to you as well.

The question people ask most often is “do nootropics work?” The answer is usually more complex than a simple “yes” or “no.” If you are new to nootropics or dietary supplements, our blog articles are an excellent resource for beginners. See the latest updates to our nootropics blog below to begin exploring the vast world of nootropics and dietary supplements.

When you buy from Nootropics Depot, you can trust that you are getting a quality product that has undergone extensive testing for both purity and identity. Nootropics Depot routinely conducts in-house and third-party lab testing to ensure product authenticity and efficacy.

Find the right nootropics that work for you and build the best nootropic stack today.

It’s true that the best nootropics for you may be different from what works best for someone else. While this might make finding the best nootropic stack that works for you seem difficult, we have compiled our best selling nootropics

to help you get started. You may also find many of the anecdotal nootropic reviews on our product pages helpful to you as well.

The question people ask most often is “do nootropics work?” The answer is usually more complex than a simple “yes” or “no.” If you are new to nootropics or dietary supplements, our blog articles are an excellent resource for beginners. See the latest updates to our nootropics blog below to begin exploring the vast world of nootropics and dietary supplements.